lets talk groundhog hunting

[Kype]

i personally have never targeted groundhogs. i know they can do a number on farmers and other homeowners. anyone have experience hunting these varmints? what do you normally do with your harvest? i have heard they taste just like a boar/pig. but i have never tried one my self (feel free to send pms on what you do with your harvested groundhogs). 

 

firearm of choice? i would think a .17hmr would be plenty for a groundhog, or 22 mag. 

 

i read the book and they state that groundhog hunting can only be private land? i guess my best bet would be to contact a farmer. i would assume most farmers would not mind you hunting ground hogs as they are a nuisance. 

[Lunatic]

I killed 49 last year. 30 something year before, all on the same farm and they keep on coming,
I mainly hunt them with my 22-250 because of reach, and because if you hit any part of them with a 22-225 they don't even twitch. 22-250 is also my favorite gun and I love taking long distance, and I mean long distance shots at this little thing you can't even see with a naked eye.

Groundhogs I killed are left for the vultures and foxes.  

Edited April 25, 2017 by Lunatic

[mazzgolf]

i read the book and they state that groundhog hunting can only be private land? i guess my best bet would be to contact a farmer. i would assume most farmers would not mind you hunting ground hogs as they are a nuisance. 

 

You are thinking of "rifle only on private land". You can hunt them on public land but with shotgun only (which is stupid to me - why can we hunt yote and fox with rifles on public land but not groundhog?? Makes no sense to me).

 

And... for the second question - you would assume wrong At least around my area. A couple years ago I spent a weekend driving around and personally knocking on doors and talking to farmers. All were very nice, but all declined my offer to hunt groundhogs on their property (and I specifically told them, "I won't ask to hunt deer or anything else - I just want to hunt groundhogs"). It was either "someone already hunts here" or "no, I don't want anyone hunting here" or "we are too close to houses".

 

I thought the same thing - "farmers should love it if someone asked to hunt 'hogs on their property" - maybe they do, but not by strangers

 

I was planning on one day making another stab at talking to some farmers around here. But I was going to go another route - talk to people who know farmers and who can give me a good reference. I just don't think many people are willing to let a guy they don't know hunt their property.

[mazzgolf]

I was planning on one day making another stab at talking to some farmers around here. But I was going to go another route - talk to people who know farmers and who can give me a good reference. I just don't think many people are willing to let a guy they don't know hunt their property.

 

 

Speaking of - if anyone is in South Jersey and is or knows a farmer or two with a groundhog problem - I have a new Savage bolt-action .223 that is very bored And I promise I won't ask to hunt anything else. PM me   

[68Ioweu1]

I get constant calls from local farmers wanting groundhog hunting on their land.

Trick is to earn the trust of them you'll spread like wildfire, .

I'm occasionally offered payment for my service, that's when I ask for deer and turkey hunting permission....

[Lunatic]

I get constant calls from local farmers wanting groundhog hunting on their land.

Trick is to earn the trust of them you'll spread like wildfire, .

I'm occasionally offered payment for my service, that's when I ask for deer and turkey hunting permission....

 

 

Right!

[B B]

They're fun to shoot and good practice.  I got a buddy that shot over 300 last year (he's got permission on a lot of farms) and he didn't even slow them down.  I got more than enough land I can hunt them on I'm just waiting for them to come out in force.  Like 68Ioweu1 said you gotta gain their trust.  One farmer wanted some coyotes and fox thinned out to help save some of his chickens and ducks, so he let me trap his property.  I caught a few hear and there and he was happy.  I've been welcome to hunt anything I wanted ever since.  Also, helped him with a few skunks which I believe to be the main reason I'm allowed back.

 

As for what you do with them that's up to you, roast, stew, spaghetti and woodchuck.  The sky's the limit.  I let the fox and coyote clean them up so I can catch them and keep the farmer happy 

Edited April 26, 2017 by B B

[mazzgolf]

I get constant calls from local farmers wanting groundhog hunting on their land.

Trick is to earn the trust of them you'll spread like wildfire

 

 

Like 68Ioweu1 said you gotta gain their trust.  One farmer wanted some coyotes and fox thinned out to help save some of his chickens and ducks, so he let me trap his property.  I caught a few hear and there and he was happy.  I've been welcome to hunt anything I wanted ever since.  Also, helped him with a few skunks which I believe to be the main reason I'm allowed back.

 

Right! That's the problem some of us have. Catch-22 - how do you get to know these farmers and earn their trust? You gotta kill their groundhogs. But how do you get to kill their groundhogs if you haven't earned their trust yet? Its breaking the ice that is the hard part. Hard getting people to allow strangers to hunt their property (to be honest, if i owned a farm, I wouldn't let some stranger who I don't know and just knocked on my door to hunt my farm). Gotta get to know people. The one farm I have permission on is owned by a friend from church

[Rusty]

I worked on a farm as a kid and the farmer insisted that I have a .22 with me at all times.  It was a rough gig but somebody had to do it.   

[B B]

Right! That's the problem some of us have. Catch-22 - how do you get to know these farmers and earn their trust? You gotta kill their groundhogs. But how do you get to kill their groundhogs if you haven't earned their trust yet? Its breaking the ice that is the hard part. Hard getting people to allow strangers to hunt their property (to be honest, if i owned a farm, I wouldn't let some stranger who I don't know and just knocked on my door to hunt my farm). Gotta get to know people. The one farm I have permission on is owned by a friend from church

 

You gotta "yes sir/No sir" them to death.  I can't tell ya how many times I got shot down untill I turned the charm on 

[Haskell_Hunter]

Right! That's the problem some of us have. Catch-22 - how do you get to know these farmers and earn their trust? You gotta kill their groundhogs. But how do you get to kill their groundhogs if you haven't earned their trust yet? Its breaking the ice that is the hard part. Hard getting people to allow strangers to hunt their property (to be honest, if i owned a farm, I wouldn't let some stranger who I don't know and just knocked on my door to hunt my farm). Gotta get to know people. The one farm I have permission on is owned by a friend from church

 

Offer to work the farm on weekends or in your free time for nothing.  Might take a few months or years, but that's a very effective way to open the door.

[Lunatic]

Offer to work the farm on weekends or in your free time for nothing.  Might take a few months or years, but that's a very effective way to open the door.

 

 

That's little much to hunt groundhogs for me

[Silver Belly62]

Here in the southern part of the state they are all over, and have shot them for years. They have ruined many good rabbit hunting ground for me and running hounds. Use to have several older guys about 7 yrs ago that would take every one I had, if not shot up bad. One guy I know used the meat to make some of his own trapping baits and the others cooked them up, but I'll pass on that.  I use to use my 17 which worked fine before I sold it, now I just use my 204 ruger (predator set up) which gives me more practice. Certain WMA's down here are a joke, loaded with them

Edited April 26, 2017 by Silver Belly62

[mazzgolf]

Certain WMA's down here are a joke, loaded with them

 

And what sucks is you can't hunt with rifles on WMAs. Good luck getting within 40 yards of a groundhog I'm sure it can be done but... would rather like it if they'd let us use rifles like we can with fox and yote.